A roller coaster manufacturer became aware that improperly heat treated track couplings were sent to a construction site for assembly. Concerns were that suspect couplings might not meet the engineering specifications and could be vulnerable to sudden failure. A testing company in Oak Ridge, TN that specializes in in-situ and laboratory mechanical testing was contacted by the manufacturer for help in this endeavor. The construction company elected to enlist a local testing firm to perform field tests on the components instead of the company in Oak Ridge. The test methods used are incapable of providing quantitative results that could be measured to the engineering specifications, making it unlikely to identify anything but the worst material conditions. This study is an example that the need for accurate analysis is very important. The manufacturer reported that 60 couplings were replaced, but it is presently unknown how many should have been replaced.

This diploma thesis deals with finding the minimal countercurrent distance of the water surface sensors used in practice for use with a V-notch weir. The thesis complements the previously obtained results of measurements in the longitudinal vertical plane of symmetry of the inlet channel with measurements on the whole countercurrently located plane of the inlet channel. The measurements are obtained experimentally in the water management research laboratory at the Department of the Water Structures Faculty of Civil Engineering in Brno. Measurements on each individual weir with top angle cutouts of 90°, 53°8´ and 28°4´ are taken at five possible positions of the sensor towards the plane of the measuring weir. All measurements are also repeated for three different vertical distances between the lowest level of the spillway edge and the bottom of the inlet channel. The obtained data are evaluated and subsequently the minimal distances for the location of the water surface sensor in front of a counter weir is determined. The thesis also includes recommendations for practical application presented in the form of text, tables and also graphically.

The presented diploma thesis deals with the problem of determining the stress singularity exponent of the V-notch. This task can be divided into two parts. The first deals with the theoretical background, that means the basic relations of mechanics and the basic concepts of fracture mechanics. The second part deals with the elaboration of the Williams method and the creation of a program for calculating the stress singularity exponent.

The master thesis is focused on estimation of crack propagation origin from sharp V-notch. Stress distribution around the tip of the V-notch is described on the base of generalized linear elastic fracture mechanics. The change of the stress singularity exponent caused by geometry of the V-notch and the vertex singularity is taken into account. The first part of the work is devoted to the estimation of the stress singularity exponent of the V-notch either from stress distribution around the tip of the V-notch or by using analytical solution. Formerly derived stability criteria are applied in the second part of the work. The origin of the crack propagation is estimated for several experimental specimens. The aim of this thesis is to compare the available experimentally observed data with results obtained using those criteria based on the application of generalized linear elastic fracture mechanics developer at the Institute of Physics of Materials Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The finite element code Ansys and mathematical software Matlab were used for the necessary calculations.

This Ph.D. thesis was written under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Luboš Náhlík, Ph.D. and Assoc. Prof. Pavel Hutař, Ph.D. Thesis is focused mainly on application of generalized linear elastic fracture mechanics, which allows description of crack behaviour propagating from general singular stress concentrators, such as material interfaces or sharp V-notches, and verification of validity of used fracture criteria. The obtained results were used in the next part of the thesis, which deals with the issue of crack propagating in ceramic composites, where the stress distribution field is strongly influenced by the existence of material interface and presence of residual stresses, that arise during manufacturing process of composite.